Man dead after shooting at Washington State Patrol troopers on I-5 in Pierce County

A shooting between a man and Washington State Patrol troopers that began on I-5 and ended in Spanaway has left the man deceased Tuesday.

State Patrol reported the man was firing shots at troopers on the highway after they conducted a traffic stop at State Route 512 in the morning. Law enforcement agencies throughout the county then got involved in the pursuit, according to the Pierce County Sheriff’s Department.

Shots were fired at deputies and state troopers as the man was driving during the pursuit, Pierce County Sheriff’s spokesman Sgt. Darren Moss said at the crime scene.

The pursuit ended on 5th Avenue Court East and 205th Street East in Spanaway after the man fired additional shots. Officers and State Patrol did engage in the shooting that took place in a neighborhood just a couple miles from where it began, Moss said.

“It is extremely for dangerous everybody that was in the area,” he said. “Just looking at the street down there, there’s multiple vehicles with bullet holes in them.”

The man was struck by gunfire and died at the scene. The Pierce County Force Investigation Team is taking over the investigation, Moss said. Law enforcement on the scene were uninjured.

Police activity is causing traffic backups on state Route 7 southbound near Roy Wye to mile post 46.7 near 8th Avenue East, according to Washington State Department of Transportation.